Coaxial cables are commonly utilized in RF communications systems. A typical coaxial cable includes an inner conductor, an outer conductor, a dielectric layer that separates the inner and outer conductors, and a jacket that covers the outer conductor. Coaxial cable connectors may be applied to terminate coaxial cables, for example, in communication systems requiring a high level of precision and reliability.
Coaxial connector interfaces provide a connect/disconnect functionality between (a) a cable terminated with a connector bearing the desired connector interface and (b) a corresponding connector with a mating connector interface mounted on an electronic apparatus or on another cable. Typically, one connector will include a structure such as a pin or post connected to an inner conductor of the coaxial cable and an outer conductor connector body connected to the outer conductor of the coaxial cable; these connectors are mated with a mating sleeve (for the pin or post of the inner conductor) and another outer connector body of a second connector. Coaxial connector interfaces often utilize a threaded coupling nut or other retainer that draws the connector interface pair into secure electro-mechanical engagement when the coupling nut (which is captured by one of the connectors) is threaded onto the other connector.
A bias “T” is often used to insert DC power onto a cabling connection that also carries an AC signal. The DC power signal may be used to power remote antenna amplifiers or other devices. The bias “T” is usually positioned at the receiving end of the coaxial cable to pass DC power from an external source to the coaxial cable running to a powered device. A bias “T” may include a feed inductor to deliver DC power to a coaxial connector on the device side and a blocking capacitor to keep DC power from passing through to the receiver. The RF signal is connected directly from one connector to the other with only the blocking capacitor in series. An internal blocking diode prevents damage to the bias “T” if reverse supply voltage is applied. An exemplary coaxial bias t-connector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,104 to Burke et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.